The short version
- More than half of recorded child workplace fatalities between 2013 and 2023 lack specific data on cause of death or industry sector.
- Child labor law violations have increased substantially over the past decade, with food service and agriculture being prominent sectors for infractions.
- Federal collaboration on preventing and detecting these violations has reportedly diminished since early 2025, complicating enforcement efforts.
A recent assessment by the Government Accountability Office reveals substantial deficiencies in the federal government’s ability to track workplace fatalities involving minors. The report indicates that for more than half of the 260 child labor deaths recorded between 2013 and 2023, critical details such as the specific cause of death or the industry in which the child was employed are missing. This lack of granular data hinders efforts to understand the full scope of risks facing young workers and complicates targeted safety interventions.
During the eleven-year period examined, an average of 24 children under the age of 18 died annually due to work-related incidents. While the overall number of fatalities provides a baseline for the severity of the issue, the absence of detailed records for over half of these cases creates significant blind spots in public health and labor safety analysis. The GAO identified that data collection methods changed in 2021, further preventing direct comparisons with earlier years and obscuring long-term trends.
Among the fatalities where industry information was available, agriculture emerged as a dominant sector. Specifically, 75 percent of the 109 deaths with reported industry data occurred within agricultural settings. This concentration suggests that farming environments continue to pose severe hazards to young workers, despite existing regulations. However, because nearly half of all cases lack this classification, the true extent of agricultural risk may be underreported or misunderstood.
Transportation incidents accounted for two-thirds of the 111 fatalities where a cause of death was documented. This statistic underscores the dangers associated with vehicle-related accidents in workplace settings for minors. Yet, similar to industry data, the missing causal information for the majority of cases limits the ability of regulators to implement specific preventive measures aimed at reducing vehicular hazards in employment contexts.
The report also highlights a broader trend of increasing non-fatal violations. Between fiscal years 2015 and 2025, the number of minors employed in violation of federal child labor laws rose sharply from 1,012 to 5,272. The majority of these infractions involved employers scheduling 14- or 15-year-olds for hours that exceeded legal limits. Additionally, 62 percent of violations during this period occurred in the accommodation and food services industry, indicating a widespread compliance issue in sectors with high youth employment.
Systemic challenges within federal agencies appear to contribute to these enforcement difficulties. The GAO found that the Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division has not fully addressed the obstacles it faces in enforcing child labor statutes. Furthermore, the report notes that collaboration between the Department of Labor and other federal agencies on activities designed to prevent and detect violations has largely diminished since January 2025. This reduction in interagency cooperation may weaken the overall regulatory framework.
Data collection mechanisms have also faced disruptions. A labor department survey and two other federal datasets that previously included information on child labor injuries and illnesses have been discontinued. These gaps, combined with changes in how injury data is collected, mean that policymakers lack a comprehensive view of non-fatal harms suffered by young workers. The inability to track injuries alongside fatalities limits the understanding of overall workplace safety conditions for minors.
The assessment was conducted in response to a request from House Education and Workforce Committee ranking member Bobby Scott, who sought an evaluation of the government’s capacity to monitor and enforce child labor laws. Scott criticized the current state of affairs, attributing the lack of coordination and effectiveness to administrative upheaval and budget cuts at critical research agencies like the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health. He has introduced legislation aimed at improving data collection to better inform enforcement strategies.
The findings emerge as several states have moved to relax child labor regulations since 2021, potentially exacerbating existing risks. With federal oversight reportedly weakening and data becoming less reliable, advocates argue that the government is ill-equipped to identify where children are working or where the greatest dangers lie. The combination of rising violations, missing fatality data, and reduced agency collaboration presents a complex challenge for future labor policy.
Moving forward, the effectiveness of any new legislative measures will depend on restoring robust data collection systems and interagency cooperation. Without accurate information on both fatal and non-fatal incidents, it remains difficult to assess whether current enforcement actions are sufficient to protect young workers. The GAO report serves as a stark reminder that regulatory efficacy is closely tied to the quality and completeness of the underlying data.
Sources behind this briefing
Go to the original reporting
- The Guardian World↗Key data missing for half of US child labor deaths, official report finds
